Industrialists and traders may go on strike on Wednesday in protest against continuous long hours' load shedding in industrial and trading areas. Industrialists and traders have sought intervention of the government to resolve the load shedding issue, whereas failure to do so the industries and traders would observe complete shutter-down strike on Wednesday, industry sources said.
The decision was taken in an joint emergency meeting of industrial associations at Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) on Saturday. Beside others, former chairman of KATI, Zahid Husain., Chairman of North Karachi Association of Trade and Industry, Faraz Mirza, Chairman of Landhi Association of Trade and Industry Riaz Ismail, Site Super Highway Association of Industry Raja Ilyas, vice chairman Haroon Shamsi, F B Area Association of Trade and Industry, vice chairman of North Karachi Sadiq Muhammad, Aslam Riaz and vice chairman of Site Super Highway attended the meeting.
Majority of the leaders of industrialists expressed concern over indifferent attitude of Karachi Electric Supple Company (KESC), Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), and the government, and added that they had been left with no option but to close down their units and stay at home. Due to continuous load shedding they are suffering enormous production losses and facing difficulties to complete the delivery of orders target.
Zahid Husain said that consumers have nothing to do with reduced gas supply to KESC. It is an issue that KESC and SSGC should resolve. He said that industrial consumers are regularly paying power and gas bills and they need uninterrupted power supply from the utilities.
He said non-availability of funds to purchase furnace oil is an issue to be resolved by the utility agencies and the government. Chairman of KATI, Johar Ali Qandhari, said that there would be complete shutter-down in all industrial areas on Wednesday if the government would not arbitrate the issue and resolve the issue which has become enormously intolerable.
The leaders of the business community while expressing complete disappointment over the non-serious approach of the government said that in such a state of affairs it has become impossible to continue industrial activity. They noted that a large number of industrial units in the country have already gone out of production due to indifferent attitude of the government and unfavourable circumstances.
They said that KESC has almost stopped power generation through its own generating units on the pretext of reduced gas supply, but it should generate power on furnace oil, and if KESC, which is earning Rs 9 billion per month, did not have funds to purchase furnace oil, the government should arrange funds for the purpose.